


Only fools rush in, or so wise people say

by kirinokisu



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-09
Updated: 2014-02-09
Packaged: 2018-01-11 17:16:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1175722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirinokisu/pseuds/kirinokisu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kagami may not be the wisest person around, but he at least likes to think he's not a fool. When the universe throws an annoying flight attendant on his lap – literally – he begins to think that maybe it's time to reconsider that statement.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Only fools rush in, or so wise people say

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nami](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nami/gifts).



> Happy (now very belated sob) birthday, Namicchi! Thank you for making me love KagaKise (way more than I should) <3

Taiga had to admit that there were certain perks of flying first class as he skimmed through the food options available. His breathing had finally calmed down; prime condition of a firefighter or not, running all the way to the airport wasn't the easiest of things. The clerk assistants at the counter must have agreed, judging by the way they stumbled over the words as they told him that there were only a couple of seats available, all first class. Taiga would have apologised, too, but the plane was leaving and he had to catch it before it did.

The price of the ticket still stung him, but it couldn't be helped – he was the one who messed up his original travel plans and had to resort to blowing ridiculous amounts of money on getting some kind of transportation to good old America. But money could be earned back. His dignity after Alex beat the crap out of him for missing her 35th birthday party because he was an idiot who couldn't book a ticket for the right day and the right time and noticed his fuck up only when it was already too late? Not so much.

Just when he was finally down to two burgers to choose from, the plane shook and Taiga found himself with a lapful of... something. He stared, speechless.

“Ouch ouch ouch,” the heap mumbled and pushed against Taiga's chest. Fascinated, Taiga watched it rise up, straighten, shape to look like a person. The person blinked. Blinked again, amber eyes huge and confused. Taiga blinked right back.

Navy-and-white flight attendant uniform, neat and pressed, bright red logo of the flight company adorning the chest, with a white tag saying “Kise Ryouta” pinned below it. Tousled blonde hair, probably from the fall. A face one usually found on a magazine cover. Definitely a guy.

Taiga saw the precise moment the situation registered in his eyes. Saw them widen even more, take Taiga in, then flash with something. Saw him lean in. Felt his breath on his face. They were so close, and Taiga, feeling uncomfortable, looked down. To the guy's lips, plump and red and delicate looking and slightly parted. He couldn't take his eyes away. Thankfully, the guy – Kise Ryouta, that was his name – seemed to realise how inappropriate it was and leaned as far back as possible.

“I'm so sorry. It looks like we have entered the zone of turbulence. Are you okay-” the attendant trailed off, expectant.

“Taiga, Kagami Taiga. Could you get off me?” Kise's brows squished together. “You're kinda heavy.”

The guy still looked unexplainably perplexed, but at least he was finally attempting to move.

“Ah, most certainly, Kagami-sa-AH!” the plane shook again and had Kise falling flat on Taiga's chest, shock of the impact raising the pitch of Kise's voice. Kise shifted, trying to find his balance. It was getting really, really uncomfortable. Taiga tried to stay as motionless as possible.

Kise's breath tickled Taiga's neck. “I'm so sorry, Kagami-san,” said he in a hoarse whisper. It sent chills down Taiga's spine. Kise chuckled, almost voicelessly.

And then, just like that, the sensation was gone. Kise straightened his uniform, fixed his hair, and turned to Taiga with an expression of complete professionalism.

His eyes though, his eyes were telling a completely different story. A story that had Taiga blushing darker than the shade of his hair. Was this guy for real?

“I am so very sorry, Kagami-san. Please forgive my clumsiness. It will not happen again.”

Taiga shook his head mutely, too afraid to open his mouth. Which pissed him off. Kise seemed to know what exactly went through Taiga's mind. Which pissed him off even more.

Kise flashed a knowing smile that was full of promises and secrets. Taiga didn't react. Looking completely uncertain and off balance, Kise took the hint.

\- - -

It had been foolish of Taiga to think he would not see Kise up close again; mere forty minutes into his flight he learned that first-class flight attendants were nothing if not attentive. Maybe a bit too much, he mused, as Kise leaned over him and Taiga's senses were assaulted with Kise's spicy, pungent cologne and the fresh scent of detergent still lingering on his uniform. Taiga held his breath.

The old man, probably in his sixties or seventies, who occupied the window seat near Kagami had some troubles with the TV and Kise, surprisingly eager for someone so arrogant, came to help. Huh, maybe the guy _was_ a professional.

Taiga's problem lied in the fact that first-class or not, the space between the rows of seats was tight and so in order to get to the TV, Kise had to reach over Taiga's seat until he was practically sprawled over it. The whole affair was taking entirely too long and Taiga's muscles were hurting from staying so erect.

Kise shifted, reaching for something under the small screen mounted on the back of the front seat, and it caused him to press harder against Taiga's chest. Taiga's breath hitched. Kise sneaked a glance at him, and it was anything but apologetic. Taiga refused the urge to push the guy off because that probably wasn't socially acceptable. So he glared back. The smirk he got in return made the temptation even harder.

Taiga thanked whatever gods there were when after what felt like eternity, Kise was finally finished. He rose slowly to his full height and Taiga let out a long, shuddering breath.

“All done,” chirped Kise, completely unaffected and as handsome as ever in his uniformed glory. Taiga hated him a little for that. “Would either of you like something to drink?”

The old man, happily occupied with the news on the TV, merely shook his head. Kise turned his head to Taiga.

“A coke,” Taiga croaked out.

Kise looked to his left and wiggled a finger. A girl in her twenties, short and with curly black hair, came rushing with a food cart. Kise gave it a quick assessing look.

“I apologise, but it looks like we are all out. If you would kindly wait, I will go get you some from the kitchen.”

The girl opened her mouth as if about to say something, but Kise narrowed his eyes at her and she snapped it close. Then the guy smiled, and the girl looked away, blushing. Taiga blinked, not sure what the hell just transpired, not that he cared. He cleared his throat.

“Yeah, sure, whatever.”

Kise nodded with a smile and walked off, and Taiga understood how the girl must have felt.

Awkward silence fell between them as they waited for Kise to come back. Taiga could feel her furtive curious glances on him. He scowled when he had finally had enough. The girl let out a high-pitched squeak and busied herself with straightening piles of cups and napkins.

Thankfully, Kise came back that moment, carrying two big bottles in one hand and a paper cup in the other, and Taiga couldn't be more happier.

“Here you go, Kagami-san.”

They reached for each other at the same time and in the haste, Taiga's fingers bumped clumsily into the cup. Some of the liquid splashed on Kise's fingers. Taiga flushed up immediately.

“Ah, sorry.”

“It's nothing, Kagami-san. I should have been more careful. Here.”

He was practically sparkling as he offered the drink once more and Taiga took the cup carefully, eyeing it like it was some sort of poisonous monster.

Kise waited patiently. Then, instead of wiping the sticky sugary liquid off with a napkin, he took his finger to his mouth and licked it, eyes fixed firmly on Taiga, who found it impossible to look away. He certainly did not miss the flash of pink swiping over the golden skin.

Blindly, he reached for the table and put the cup down. If it missed, he wouldn't have noticed.

“Would you like anything else?” the bastard had the gall to look like he had no idea what he was doing to Taiga. _That_ certainly put an end to the images in Taiga's head and made him burn with a different kind of fire. No way was that fucking playboy going to make Taiga look like a smitten fool. Because he wasn't a fool. Or smitten.

“No,” he gruffed out.

Kise looked taken aback for a second, but it was soon replaced with an expression of professional politeness.

“If you change your mind, Kagami-san, please do not hesitate to call. I'll come right away.”

For the life of him, Taiga could not understand why Kise looked so pleased with himself.

And that was largely why he watched Kise wheel the cart forward with a frown on his face, and he couldn't help noticing how gracefully the guy moved, almost sashaying down the aisle, hips swaying.

Taiga downed half of his drink in one go.

That's when he realised something: there were three big bottles of Coca-Cola on the bottom compartment of the cart, even though he was sure Kise came back with only two.

\- - -

Taiga stretched his arms above his head, taking time and satisfaction in the feel of his muscles moving and the sound of cracking that accompanied it. He breathed in a huge gulp of heavy airport air, picked up his cup of Coke from the top of his suitcase and his suitcase from the floor, and finally took in his surroundings, searching for familiar faces.

Taiga wasn't a sentimental type of person, but it sure felt good to be back in Los Angeles, having lived there for the first fourteen years of his live before moving permanently to Japan. There were days when he found himself missing certain things. Such as the delicious aroma of real Mexican food and the taste of juicy American steaks melting on his tongue. His stomach rumbled at the image.

In the end, he never ended up buying any food on the plane. It most certainly wasn't because of that pesky attendant sneaking glances at Taiga. It didn't matter if Kise was at the other end of the plane, working the coffee machine, or just an arm's reach away from Taiga, tending to some little kid; somehow, without a fail, Kise's eyes always found Taiga's and stayed there just a moment longer than was appropriate.

Taiga always had a weakness when it came to challenges. So he glared right back, until it became a game of who looked away first. 

Half-way into that little battle of theirs, Taiga noticed that something about Kise seemed... off. As if he got restless as more and more time passed, as if expecting something to happen, expecting Taiga to make something happen, only Taiga had no idea what. After some time, he came to the conclusion it was something about the way Kise sometimes glanced at Taiga's table right before averting his eyes completely. Taiga followed, but saw nothing interesting on that table, just some sports magazines and a half-empty cup of coke. 

Was he expecting Taiga to, to... The guy was ridiculous! He might be good, but he wasn't _that_ good, and just because he probably had enough experience in seducing his passengers did not mean Taiga was going to be one of them. In the first place, Taiga wasn't interested in casual sex. And no matter how handsome a face, it was not enough to change that.

Strangely disappointed that Kise turned out to be exactly what he expected him to be, Taiga glared viciously at Kise's back, bent in a sensual arch as he poured orange juice to a woman wearing so many diamonds it hurt to look, and closed his eyes. He fell asleep immediately.

“Yo, Taiga.”

The scowl on Taiga's face gave way to a grin. He turned around to face his brother who was not really a brother.

“Tatsuya!”

As always, Himuro Tatsuya was composure and grace personified as he navigated through the crowds of arrivals, amused smile firmly in place.

“Had a nice nap?”

Taiga stared back, confused. Tatsuya chuckled and nodded at his hair. Taiga whipped his head around in search for anything reflective and immediately wished he hadn't.

“Where's Alex?” he asked, running his fingers through his hair in a desperate attempt to tame the side he slept on, now sticking in every possible direction. But he knew a lost cause when he saw one.

“Parking issues. You know how it gets.” Tatsuya tried to take Taiga's suitcase, but Taiga knew from experience that he would and stepped back in time. He glared at Tatsuya who only smiled in return, but made no more attempts to baby Taiga. Taiga saw the precise moment that already unreadable enough face closed off completely and it made him feel just a little bit guilty.

Sighing in defeat, he took off his carry-on slung across his chest and offered it to Tatsuya, refusing to meet Tatsuya's steady eyes as he did so. Seconds ticked by in silence.

“Shall we go search for her?”

Sometimes, Taiga felt endlessly grateful for Tatsuya's ability to read him like an open book, because right then Tatsuya's soft voice meant the end of awkwardness and deemed the situation safe enough for Taiga to take his eyes off some random ad that was of no interest to him no matter how hard he pretended it to be otherwise.

“Yeah. Yeah, let's.”

“She should be- What's that?”

Taiga's looked down at the cup in his hands, not understanding why Tatsuya would ask something like that. It was just a normal paper cup, white, with the red logo of the flight company-

He blinked at the black bold digits written carelessly across the picture, brain trying hard to process how a sequence of numbers that was definitely not a part of the original design ended there anyway.

Unfortunately, Tatsuya reached the conclusion faster. His smile got just a little bit wider and its edge just a little bit sharper.

“So, was it just a one time thing or should we be expecting someone to meet the family soon?”

Taiga's head snapped up, eyes reluctantly letting go of the messy “Kise Ryouta” scribbled under what looked like a Japanese phone number.

“W-what?”

Tatsuya raised an eyebrow, cast a meaningful look at the damn thing in Taiga's hands and Taiga wished he had thrown it away earlier. He would've, too, but it still held some remnants of coke, now probably too warm and therefore undrinkable.

“Ah, a one time thing then, since you clearly didn't expect your beau to leave a phone number behind. What are you going to do with it?”

Throw it away and forget it ever happened, he wanted to say. Then tell Tatsuya that there wasn't even anything to forget to begin with.

But still, he had to give the guy some credit – it was quite sly of him. Probably from having done it countless of times before, Taiga's mind helpfully supplied.

“Do what with what?”

An arm – sure and heavy – landed on his shoulders and before he knew it, he was being turned around and whatever he was going to say was swallowed by a kiss.

“Alex,” he groaned as the woman in front of him finally let go. He was met with a toothy not-sorry-at-all grin and found it hard not to mirror it despite himself. Even at thirty-five, Alexandra Garcia looked as young and beautiful and bursting with energy as she did fifteen years ago, when two ten-year-old boys begged her to teach them real basketball.

“So, what did I miss? And what's with the hair?” she ruffled the strands Taiga just got barely tamed and he momentarily forgot about the real danger. How foolish of him.

“It appears our little Taiga found someone on his way here. Looks like he won't be marrying you, after all. Isn't that a pity?”

Taiga had been twelve when he declared that. Really, wasn't it time they let go of that particular moment of his life?

“Is that so?” Alex drawled, and Taiga could swear her eyes were glinting. It promised nothing but misery and embarrassment. “So, who is she?”

“It's not like that!”

“So there _was_ someone.” The look Tatsuya gave him made Taiga wish he didn't fall for such tricks so easily, as well as for a ticket back, very, very hard. Or for an earthquake to strike and swallow him, or them. Anything to take away their attention of eagles focusing on their pray. And maybe give Taiga a moment to realise that yes, somehow that sneaky flight attendant managed to give Taiga his number. And that somehow Taiga didn't mind.

“Taiga,” Alex clung to his forearm and prevented him from running away as fast as he could, “who was it? Are we going to meet her? You didn't _really_ do anything, did you? I taught you better than that.”

“Of course not! Nothing happened! There wasn't even anyone for something to happen. Just an annoying bastard with too much confidence in his pretty looks, okay?!”

Alex and Tatsuya exchanged a glance and Taiga had a sinking feeling he said something he shouldn't have.

“So it's a he?” Taiga couldn't be absolutely certain, but he was certain enough Alex's expression reached an entirely new level of delight.

“And it's a pretty he?” Tatsuya wasn't far behind.

“No! No it's a no one! And he's definitely not pretty, okay?!” Taiga didn't need to see their smug faces to know he once again said something he really shouldn't have. “Can we just get going already?” After a moment of hesitation, he added, “please.”

He must have looked utterly pathetic, because it seemed to do the trick and although they continued to tease him all the way to the parking lot – and later all the way to Alex's apartment, much to Taiga's chagrin – at least they were moving. Taiga brushed them off half-heartedly, while his fingers kept going back to the cup in his hand, tracing the numbers on it absentmindedly.

In addition to the name, he now had a phone number.

\- - -

“Do we really have to do this?” 

“We wouldn't, if you had brought anything decent enough to wear to Alex's party,” Tatsuya handed him yet another pair of slacks. “Try these.”

“How was I supposed to know she booked one of _those_ restaurants? It's not like her at all.” The pile of clothes in his arms was growing with an alarming speed and he suppressed a groan. This was going to be a long day. “What's the deal anyway?”

“Let's just say she was having a momentary identity crisis. She regretted it the next day. But you know Alex, never back down.” 

That did sound like Alex. Tatsuya plucked one last pair of pants from the rack and Taiga took his cue to go search for the changing rooms. 

What he found was something else entirely. 

“Kagamicchi!”

Kise Ryouta seemed as startled as Taiga himself, cheeks colouring the more they looked at each other. It looked surprisingly... endearing on him.

“Kagami _cchi_?”

“It's your new nickname It feels weird calling you Kagami-san since we're probably around the same age, I'm twenty-five by the way, and plain Kagami sounds too boring.” Kise moistened his lips. “Unless you want me to call you Taiga?”

It sounded so soft, coming from Kise, not like Tatsuya or Alex at all, and it made Taiga feel all sorts of conflicted. Kise was a damn flirt, he was supposed to be sultry and vulgar, not, not standing there all adorable, looking expectantly at Taiga with glossy, bright eyes. 

“So, Kagamicchi, what are you doing here? You don't strike me as a shopping type.”

But you certainly do, Taiga mused as he looked over Kise's attire. He suddenly felt conscious about his old jeans and a plain black v-neck.

“I... ah, it's for a special occasion.”

“This is the right place then. They have the best deals, and you can find some pretty neat things here. If you know where to look, that is.”

“And I take it you do?” Taiga grinned, surprised at how easy it was to talk to Kise when he wasn't trying to invade Taiga's personal space, or whispering in that hoarse voice.

“Want me to give you a tour? A personal one, free of charge since it's your first time.”

Tatsuya chose that precise moment to enter the narrow corridor that separated the changing rooms from the actual store area. “Taiga, you here?”

Tatsuya stopped when he saw them. Behind him, through the wide arched entrance, Taiga could see life bustling in the mall, not awkward at all, unlike his own.

Tatsuya raised an eyebrow, a motion so familiar Taiga knew explanations were in order.

“This is... uh...” he trailed off, not sure if Tatsuya remembered the name and if he did, how bad the consequence would be. He must have taken too long, because with growing horror, he watched Kise take a step forward.

“Kise Ryouta,” Kise said, charming as a prince. And just as fake. Taiga didn't like it one bit. “I met Kagami on the plane here. I was just leaving when I bumped into him and since what are chances of something like this happening, I thought I should say hi.”

“Himuro Tatsuya, I'm Taiga's-”

“Brother!” Taiga blurted out, “he's my brother. Well, not really, since we're not related, but he's _like_ a brother.” The words just kept coming and god, what the hell was he saying. Tatsuya chuckled, amused.

“Yes, you could say we are brothers.”

“Oh, oh I see,” Kise's shoulders lost some of their tension and Taiga could feel himself relax, too. “Well, I really was leaving, so I'd better hurry if I don't want my passengers to leave without me. It was nice meeting you, Himuro-san.” He turned around at the entrance, and winked at Taiga. “Oh and Kagamicchi? The offer still stands. If you ever feel like you need a tour, you know my number.” And then Kise was off.

They watched him rush through the masses of people, smiling and waving his goodbye until he reached the door and disappeared into the crowded streets of LA, well aware of the females he left blushing and giggling in his wake.

“I must say, little brother, your taste in people is much better than in clothes. Surprisingly so.”

“What is that supposed to mean?!”

\- - -

Two weeks later, Taiga found himself missing Los Angeles and more importantly, its weather, sitting in a remote corner of a hipster caffe that according to Kuroko, made wicked milkshakes. Plus it was close to the kindergarden Kuroko worked at. Speaking of which... Taiga looked at his watch. Eight thirty. Kuroko was late.

“Can I sit here?”

Taiga looked up and almost sputtered out his bagel.

“What are _you_ doing here?!”

Kise put down his drink – something brown in a tall glass, topped with lots of foam – and sat down, smiling at Taiga from beneath a dark red beanie.

“I'll take that as a yes.” Kise's fingers – long and sure and well taken care of – curled around the glass. “How are you doing, Kagamicchi? It is such a nice day, isn't it? A bit too cold, though. Are you waiting for someone? Or are you all by yourself? Don't tell me you got ditched? So early in the day, too!”

Kise's babble felt warm and familiar, and scared the hell out of Taiga.

“Are you stalking me?!”

Kise stopped abruptly, blinked and then burst out laughing. Kagami bristled immediately. It made Kise laugh harder.

“Kaga-,” the last syllable got swallowed by another burst of laughter. “Kaga-,” he tried again, “Kagamicchi, stalking, really? Sure, you're hot,” he paused to give Taiga a once-over that was indecent and suggestive enough to make anyone blush, or so Taiga consoled his pride, “but stalking is not exactly my hobby. It's usually the other way around.”

Taiga really, really wanted to wipe that smug look off Kise's face, and he probably would've tried, somehow, if only it didn't look so damn attractive. As soon as that thought crossed his mind, he immediately wanted to punch himself.

“Then how do you explain your presence here?” he grumbled, definitely not sulking.

“I come here all the time, Kagamicchi. Sort of a tradition whenever I'm back in Japan. This place serves the best lattes.” As if to prove his point, Kise took a sip of his coffee with a look of utter bliss on his face. Taiga had to swallow when Kise licked the remnants of foam from his lips. Then, Kise raised his head and looked at Taiga from underneath his ridiculously long lashes. It made something in Taiga's stomach do somersaults. Had the ham in the bagel gone bad? “Maybe it's fate that we met here.”

Taiga wanted to scorn, to tell Kise to stop being ridiculous, but images of that pink tongue tracing the foamy lips were still vivid in Taiga's mind and they did funny things to his ability to think, let alone speak.

Something in the way Kise kept holding Taiga's gaze told him Kise knew exactly how he was affecting Taiga.

“Kise-kun, the concept of fate is yet to be proven to be true.”

They half-jumped at same time and watched Kuroko Tetsuya pull out a chair and sit down with a perfectly calm expression on his face. He nodded at them both and took a sip of his drink.

Taiga was still waiting for a day when Kuroko would not be able to scare the hell out of him.

“Kurokocchi!”

Kise was looking like a kid in a candy store, beaming brighter than Taiga ever thought possible, and Taiga had to rub his stomach because he felt like he just ate something nasty. The ham must have gone really bad.

“You two know each other?” he grumbled.

“We went to the same school,” said Kuroko, ignoring the rude tone.

“We were best of friends, right, Kurokocchi?”

Kuroko didn't even spare Kise a glance, but Taiga knew him well enough to see that there was no annoyance in those eyes.

“Not really.”

“So mean! Kagamicchi, why is he being so mean?”

Kise's eyes were huge and shiny as he turned to Kagami, lips in an exaggerated pout that would've looked ridiculous on anyone else's face but it figured Kise would be an exception. 

He was saved by a phone ringing. Kuroko fished the device out and excused himself.

“See, Kagamicchi? I told you it was fate! Who would have thought we had common friends? How do you know Kurokocchi, by the way?”

“One of the kids in the kindergarden set the fire alarm off. Thought it was a hilarious idea. As an apology, the stuff invited me and my partner for drinks. It kinda went from there. Turns out, I've been playing basketball with his roommate for ages.” 

“So you're a firefighter, huh,” Kise hummed, leaning on his palm. The hunger in his eyes was palpable. It burned Taiga, and he wanted nothing more than to just run away.

Kise just couldn't damn well be _normal_ , could he? He just had to turn everything into some sort of game Kagami didn't know how to play. It was all so _frustrating._

“Look, Kise, you're wasting your time.”

Kise tilted his head, completely lost. “What?” he smiled nervously, tentatively.

“Okay, here's the thing. I don't know how many people in this world you have turned into fools with your pretty boy act, but I refuse to become one of them. You want to be friends? That's fine. But all this, this seducing? Give it up. I'm not falling for it,” Taiga said.

I'm not falling for _you_ , they both heard.

Kise swallowed a couple of times, but kept his gaze steady on Taiga, completely unreadable, chin held high. Taiga was the one who couldn't take it anymore. And so he turned away and stared at the window on his right, until his eyes began to hurt from the whiteness of the snow outside.

He heard the chair screeching against the wooden flood. Heard the rustle of clothes as Kise stood up. Heard the bell on the door jingle merrily.

Only then did he look up from the snowy windowsill. Kise's drink, still almost full, looked lonely on the table. Looked wrong. 

Well damn.

\- - -

“Kagami-kun, it has been barely five minutes.” Kuroko's face was blank save for the two tiny lines between his eyebrows that unnerved Taiga more than he was willing to admit. “Can you tell me what happened? From the very beginning, if you would.”

And so, a glass of coke and two ham-and-cheese bagels later, he did. From the moment Kise Ryota fell on his lap to the moment Kise Ryouta left the cafe in such a hurry. He stopped talking only after he was completely done, but even then, Kuroko kept his silence.

Taiga bit into his third bagel. It tasted only slightly better than his previous two.

“Kagami-kun, when I said that Kise-kun is an old acquaintance of mine, I wasn't lying. However, I do not know the person who sat on this chair moments ago.”

“Huh?!”

“The Kise-kun I met in middle school was a kid used to being the centre of everyone's attention. He attracted people wherever he went and it only got worse with age. You weren't incorrect in your assumption that Kise-kun is an expert in flirting. It is as natural for him to smile and be nice, perhaps a bit too much according to some, to people who approach him as it is for you to eat twenty cheeseburgers and ask for more. It is what makes him Kise-kun. But today,” something in Kuroko's gaze changed, became more intense, “for the first time in the thirteen years that I have known Kise-kun, I saw _him_ approach someone, let alone give his phone number. I do not know a Kise-kun who is so desperate to catch someone's attention that he continues doing it even after failing twice.”

Kuroko paused and Taiga waited patiently. He knew Kuroko well enough to recognize that the best – or worst, depending on the perspective – was yet to come.

Kuroko took a long slurp of his shake. Taiga resisted flipping the table.

“You said Kise-kun, with his words and actions, made you feel like a fool. I can assure you, if Kagami-kun is a fool, then so is Kise-kun. Isn't that what being in love is all about?”

“Wha- W-who the hell here is in, in-” Kuroko cocked his head, waiting. “Y-you know!”

“Kagami-kun is really hopeless, isn't he?”

“Screw you.”

“I am afraid I will have to decline for I have no such desire, Kagami-kun.”

“You bastard.”

Taiga's face settled into a scowl, but his words lacked any true anger and Kuroko knew it, if the tilt of his lips was any indication. Taiga ignored it. He run a hand through his hear and slumped in his chair.

“So, what do I do now?”

“That is for you to decide, Kagami-kun.” Kuroko checked his watch. “I am afraid I will have to leave you to your thoughts now, even if it means risking a potential disaster.” He stood up and put on his coat, wrapped his dark blue scarf around his neck.

Then he seemed to take pity on Taiga, because he suddenly said, “Kise-kun may an annoying airhead with no sense of personal space, but he has a great deal of pride. Please remember that.”

Kuroko didn't say “just because he came twice, does not mean he will do it one more time”, but Taiga heard it loud and clear anyway.

“Hey, Kuroko?”

The man in question paused with his hand on the door handle.

“Thanks.”

Kuroko merely nodded in response.

“Good luck, Kagami-kun.”

And then he was gone, leaving Taiga alone with his thoughts.

\- - -

It took Taiga five more bagels, two more cokes, and an hour and twenty-five minutes – not that he was counting, but the girl at the counter kept looking at him strangely – of misery to come up with a text message that satisfied him. With sweaty, clammy fingers he pressed «SEND».

A huge sigh of relief he had no idea he was holding escaped him when, after what felt like years, the screen of his phone flashed with “I would love to”, followed by so many emoticons and exclamation marks that Kagami couldn't contain his laughter because it was _so_ Kise.

And if that night Taiga couldn't fall asleep until well into the morning because of the stupid silly grin that refused to go away and the damn butterflies having a party in his stomach... Well, no one was there to witness it.

\- - -

“So the critics aren't always wrong, right, Kagamicchi? How did you like the movie?”

Taiga pushed the doors of the movie theatre open and held them for Kise. If it surprised him, he certainly didn't show it.

Frosty air and a gust of bone-chilling wind met them as soon as they stepped out into the cold. Taiga huddled in his parka. The temperature seemed to drop noticeably during their time in the movie theatre and what started out as a mildly cold winter day turned into a holy-shit-I'm-about-to-freeze-to-death winter night.

“Kagamicchi?”

Kise's coat – bright blue with all sorts of pockets and zippers and buttons – while looking very nice on Kise himself, did not look suitable for the weather. Taiga felt colder just by looking at him.

“Ah, yeah, it was nice. Where do you wanna go to eat?”

Kise smiled sheepishly and rubbed at the tip of his nose, bright red from the cold.

“What's the closest place? I'm not very familiar with this area.”

So he _was_ cold. And unlike Kise, Taiga was very familiar with the area. Enough to know that the closest place that was still open and served decent food would take at least thirty minutes of walking in the cold. He sneaked a glance at Kise. Apparently, fashionable clothes were not supposed to be properly zipped up and was it his imagination or were Kise's lips slowly turning blue?

“I live not far from here and I know how to cook,” he blurted out. Kise stopped abruptly, turned around and walked up to Taiga, who also stopped because of Kise. Kise approached him strangely slow, until they were standing so close their chests were almost touching. Taiga froze in place, confusion coating his features. Kise's lips curled into a coy smile.

“Is that... an invitation?”

It took Taiga a moment to process what he meant and when he did, his face lit on fire. It seemed to amuse Kise even more.

“T-that's not what I-!”

“So sly, Kagamicchi,” Kise said in that annoying sing-song voice of his. “Should I be concerned? Afraid that I will be taken advantage of?”

“W-wha? Of course not! Why would I want to do that?!”

“Ah, but Kagamicchi, that is exactly what-”

Taiga never got to hear the rest of the sentence because screw it, Kise had been clearly pulling his leg and Taiga was tired of looking at those lips – close, so so close and always the centre of his attention – and not being able to do anything. It was time he did something about both issues.

Pulling Kise closer by his scarf, he closed his mouth on Kise's, and felt him still completely against Taiga's body.

The idea that seemed pretty damn good just a moment ago suddenly didn't anymore.

Unsure of what to do, Taiga was about to pull away when he felt icy cold hands wound around his neck. And then Kise was kissing him, lips eager and soft and wicked. Kagami matched him in every move, refusing to lose. With a breathy sigh, Kise's lips parted and finally, finally Taiga was allowed a proper taste. The feeling of triumph got lost in the sensation of their tongues touching and swirling and rubbing against each other and damn it why hadn't they done that sooner.

As if reading his mind, Kise giggled and pulled away. They were standing even closer than before, now definitely touching, Kise's hands still in Taiga's hair, caressing the short strands on his nape and sending sparks to Taiga's body. The warm puffs of air that escaped their mouths mixed together in a misty cloud, and all Taiga could see was the gold of Kise's eyes.

“I think I'll take you up on that offer.”

It was barely above a whisper, but Taiga heard it anyway as he kept gazing down at Kise, face so lovely and uncharacteristically shy under the soft outdoor lights of the cinema, and Taiga realised that maybe Kise wasn't as confident as he liked other people to believe. That behind that flashy facade and breathtaking smiles was someone vulnerable. Somehow, it made Kise look even lovelier.

He leaned down to give one more kiss, but Kise was already moving, that foolish smile in place, all energy and sparkles, as if his world, unlike Taiga's, wasn't just subjected to an earthquake followed by a tornado.

“Kagamicchi, hurry up! I'm hungry!”

Taiga grinned and picked up his pace.

“Slow down, you idiot. You don't even know where to go!”

Kise laughed merrily and Taiga thought the sound of it was something he wouldn't mind hearing every day. And then he punched his brain for having such girly thoughts.


End file.
